NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Maybe he can explain the ending.
"Sopranos'' creator David Chase will testify in federal court against a former New Jersey municipal court judge who claims his ideas helped Chase come up with the plot for the hit HBO drama. The trial starts in Trenton Wednesday.
Robert Baer, also a former assistant prosecutor in Union and Hudson counties, sued Chase in 2002, claiming he suggested a TV show about organized crime in New Jersey and give Chase a crash course on the North Jersey mob.
In court documents, Chase countered Baer is "self delusional.'' Chase is expected to testify at the trial, though it's not clear if he will be in court when jury selection begins Wednesday.
A judge dismissed Baer's suit twice, but those ruling were overturned.
Chase, a New Jersey native, was criticized for the way he ended the popular series last June. In the final scene, the show faded to black while fictional mob boss Tony Soprano sat in a New Jersey diner with his family.
The legal dispute centers on Baer's role in developing the show back in 1995, years before "The Sopranos'' became a cable sensation.
"He proposed the idea about doing the show about the north Jersey mafia,'' said his attorney, Harley D. Breite. "He's looking to be compensated for the value of what he did, the services and assistance he provided to Mr. Chase.''
A dollar amount isn't specified in the lawsuit.
Baer first met Chase for lunch at the Ivy in California, an introduction made a through a mutual friend, Joseph Urbanczyk, a camera operator in Hollywood who knew Baer since kindergarten.
"After the lunch ended, Chase took Baer's phone number and reached out to him and asked for his help in doing this project,'' Breite said.
Months later, Baer says he gave Chase a tour and tutorial about the Jersey mob over three days, arranging meetings with police detectives and other experts who could provide background about the mob.
Breite said Baer contributed ideas that became part of the show, including a pork store in Elizabeth that would become the mobster's favorite hangout and a Jewish character that had ties to the mob.
The lawsuit claims Chase later made phone calls to Baer at his north Jersey home to ask questions about the mafia in New Jersey. Chase sent Baer a draft of the proposed first episode, according to the suit. Baer responded 14 months later but "didn't make a single suggestion for improvement of my script,'' Chase said in a court filing.
Breite said Baer attempted several times to contact Chase after the show was sold to HBO, but he didn't respond.
In a 2002 court filing, Chase called Baer's claims "grossly distorted, petulant and self-aggrandizing'' and that Baer provided a "modest service,'' arranging to introduce him to individuals who where experienced in certain facets of organized crime, and was offered "gratuitously.''
Chase also said virtually all of the information provided to him during his visit with Baer exists in the public domain and weren't original ideas.
In a court filing, Chase was "keenly aware of a 'mob presence' in New Jersey'' because he grew up in the Garden State.
A spokeswoman for Chase declined to comment on specifics of the case other than to express confidence he would prevail in court.
Baer first filed the suit in 2002, and U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano dismissed it twice, but they have since been overturned.
Last month, Pisano ruled that Baer cannot mention 17 items during trial, including factual information about crime, characters or locations derived from meetings he arranged for Chase because they were based on facts in the public domain.
The show still enjoys a cult-like following with reruns on cable television. It has even inspired a bus tour of "Sopranos'' sites across northern New Jersey and a condominium development called "The Soprano'' on the site of the fictional Satriale's pork store.
1010 WINS is the 24-hour all-news radio station for New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and Long Island including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Fairfield County, Bergen County, Essex County, Long Island, Westchester County, and Rockland County. Listen on air and online for breaking world news, New York City news, New York City traffic and transit, Tri-State area traffic and transit, New York sports, New York City weather, tri-state weather and much more. Download free podcasts and listen to New York news and audio press conferences. Listen online to top New York radio news broadcasters including John Montone, Judy DeAngelis, Steve Torre, Sandy Kenyon, Dr. Brian McDonough, Lee Harris, Paul Guanzon, Mark Hilan, Lori Madden, Juliet Papa, Doug O'Brien, Terry Sheridan, Al Jones, Steve Kastenbaum, Carol D'Auria, Brian Carey, Sandi Klein, Mona Rivera, Susan Richard, Catherine smith, Glenn Schuck, Alice Stockton-Rossini, Kathleen Maloney. 1010Wins.com is also available in HD Radio. www.1010wins.com
E-Mail Story
Print Story
